Mega: I Want To

Wild Turkey

Vermont boasts the best wild turkey hunting in New England. Considered "Big Game" under Vermont law, you will easily understand why after hunting them. Flocks of up to 100 can be counted in late winter and they are highly visible most of the year. But when hunting season comes in May, their prowess in avoiding the hunter puts them way ahead of any small game species and certainly on a par with deer and bear.

Dates

Seasons

Dates

Limits

Youth Weekend

The weekend prior to the opening of spring turkey

One bearded turkey, statewide

Spring

May 1 - 31

Two bearded turkeys, statewide

Fall (Bow and Arrow only)

October 5 - 25, 2019

One of either sex, statewide

Fall (Bow & Arrow or Shotgun)

October 26 - November 3, 2019

One of either sex, WMUs B, D, G, H, I, J, L, M, O, P, and Q

Fall (Bow & Arrow or Shotgun)

October 26 - November 10, 2019

One of either sex, WMUs F, K and N

Tips & Techniques

Prime turkey habitat consists of a mix of agricultural land and forested areas. Areas where working dairy farms abut mature stands of nut-bearing oak and hickory trees are especially productive. Turkeys are most common in the southwestern foothills, southern Champlain Valley, and low-land portions of the eastern foothills. However, wherever one hunts, the key to success is pre-season scouting and securing landowner permission.